Hot-air and steam bath apparatus



May 24, 1955 s. M. F. ENGDAHL. ETAL 2,709,214

HOT-AIR AND STEAM BATH APPARATUS 7 Filed Oct. 11, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VE/W'OR$ 5577/ fmuk/rz Firm/9.4 .E/vcnp/m Brion/war M y 1955 s. M. F. ENGDAHL an 1 2,709,214

HOT-AIR AND STEAM BATH APPARATUS United States Patent G HQT-AIR AND STEAM BATH APPARATUS Seth Mauritz Fingal Engdahl and Ragnar Rudolf Gunnar Rasmussen, Enkoping, Sweden Appiication October 11, 1952, Serial No. 314,344

Ciaims priority, application Sweden October 23, 1951 3 Claims. (Cl. 219-39) The present invention relates to an improvement in hot-air and steam bath apparatus, which comprise a container adapted to receive stone material and surrounded by an air duct open at its top and bottom ends wherein are disposed electric heating elements for heating air passed through said duct by the aid of a fan. According to this invention the container communicates with the air duct, so that part of the air heated by the elements is passed through the container in direct contact with the stone material therein, and the air duct containing the elements is also surrounded by a second duct open at its top and bottom ends, through which air flows directly from the fan, so that the outer walls of the apparatus are cooled.

These and other features characteristic of the invention will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiment shown on the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates the hot-air and steam bath apparatus in axial longitudinal cross-section along line II in Figure 3; Figure 2 is a cross-section along line II--II in Figure 3; and

Figure 3 finally is a cross-section along line IIIIII in Figure 1.

in accordance with the embodiment shown on the drawings the hot air and steam bath apparatus comprises a support formed by a number of tubular (in the illustrated apparatus three) standards 1, said standards being connected by annular members 2, 3 at the top and bottom thereof respectively. The support also includes three angularly bent members 4, each secured to one of the standards at the top end thereof and projecting upwards beyond the annular member 2. These angular members 4 serve as supports for the lower portion of a container adapted to receive stone material 5, said container consisting of two container parts 6 and 7, one of which is partly surrounded by the other; the lower container part 7 is carried by the angular members 4 and has a bottom 8. The diameters of the container parts 6 and 7 are such that an annular passageway 9 is formed therebetween and the container parts are maintained in coaxial relationship by means of spacer members 10 secured to the top part of the container part 7.

Around and spaced from the stone container 6, 7 there is mounted a shell 11, which together with the stone container defines an annular duct 12 open at its lower end, said shell being secured at its lower edge to the members 4, e. g. by means of screws. In the annular duct 12 there are mounted a plurality of electric heating elements 13 arranged at regular angular intervals, which are secured between the annular member 2 and an annular wall 14 secured to the top portion of the container part 6 and closing the superior end of the duct 12. The shell 11 has a number of air outlet ports 15 slightly below the wall 14.

Around the shell 11 and spaced therefrom there is arranged a second shell 16 extending from the bottom of the apparatus up to a level slightly above the inferior edge of the air outlet ports 15. Thus the two shells define an annular duct 17 open at its top and bottom ends.

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The numeral 18 designates a number of spacer members arranged at regular intervals around the shell 11. At the top end of the container part 6 there is further mounted an annular cover plate 19.

Vertically below the container 6, 7 there is mounted a fan 21 driven by an electric motor 20, said fan projecting into an opening 22 formed in a partition 23 secured at by welding to the standards 1 and being in substantially sealing engagement with the outer shell 16. The electric motor 20 is mounted in a triangular frame 24 suspended on spiral springs 25 secured to the standards 1.

From the bottom 8 of the container part 7 there extends a pipe 26, which opens into one of the tubular standards 1 and serves to withdraw any excessive water from the stone container, if the stone material is watered to generate steam, as is usual in baths of this type.

In the lower part of the apparatus there is further mounted a thermostat 29 controllable by means of a hand wheel 27 and a shaft 28, said thermostat in order to obtain the desired temperature of the air serving to break or to close the circuit of the electric heating elements 13 which are connected in series with each other and the thermostat by means of conductors 30 (not shown in detail). The feeling member 31 of the thermostat 29 projects into the duct 12 containing the elements 13 between two adjacent elements and at least the top part thereof is protected by a steel tube 32 slid on the member 31. By having the thermostat feeding member 31 projecting into the duct 12 in this manner a high degree of sensitiveness may be attained.

When the fan 20, 21 is driven, the air is passed through the duct 12 where it is heated by the heating elements 13, whereupon part of the air leaves directly through the outlet ports 15, while a second part flows down through the duct 9 and up through the container 6, 7 in direct contact with the stone material 5, which is thereby heated before the air leaves through the open top of the container. Part of the air moved by the fan is passed directly from the fan through the duct 17, whereby the shell 16 is maintained cooled. This air thereupon leaves together with the air flowing through the air outlet ports 15.

As seen from the above, a hot-air and steam bath ap paratus according to this invention afiords the advantage that part of the heated air has direct contact with the stone material, whereby the heating period thereof is considerably reduced compared to the case where this hot air only flows over the external surface of the container 6, 7, and the outer walls of the apparatus are kept relatively cool by the unheated air supplied through the duct 17, so that the apparatus may be disposed near the walls of the locality wherein it is placed and there is no danger of persons in this locality being burnt by contact with the outer wall of the apparatus. Moreover, by mixing the unheated air with the heated air before entry in the locality, the temperature of the discharged air is also decreased to a suitable degree.

Having now particularly described the nature of our invention and the manner of its operation what we claim is:

1. In a heating apparatus for a hot-air and steam bath in which a current of heated air and steam are discharged into a bathroom, the combination of an open outer housing, an open container disposed within the housing for receiving therein heat storing solid material, said conwith said duct leading into the container, heating means disposed within the inner duct, and ,fan means for directing an air current through the outer jacket for cooling the housing and an air current through the inner duct for heating the said ,air current by said heating means, one part of said heated air current being guided through said container and the other being directly discharged from the apparatus through the inner duct.

2. In a heating apparatus for a,hotair and steam bath in which a-curent of heated air and steam are discharged into a bathroom, the combination of a generally cylindrical outer housing, an open generally cylindrical container disposed Within the housing coaxially therewith, the said container'having two parts partly teiescoped one into the other in spaced relationship so as to form an annular duct therebetween lead ng into the container, the 'lower container :part being adapted to receive therein heat storing solid material, an open ended jacket disposed within the housing and encompassing the container, said jacket forming an :outer annular duct defined by the inside of the 'housinghand the outside of the jacket and an inner duct defined by the ,inside of the jacket and the outside of the container, said inner duct communicating with the said duct leading into the container, heating means disposed within the inner duct, and blower means disposed within the housing below the container and the jacket, the said blower means directing an air current through the outer duct for cooling the housing and an air current through the inner duct for heating said latter current by the heating means, the said heated air current being partly directed through the container and partly discharged directly from the apparatus through the inner duct.

3. A heating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the said jacket at its end opposite to the inlet end for the air current heated by said heating means has apertures directly leading into the atmosphere, the said apertures being disposed closely adjacent to the outlet end of the outer duct jor mixing the heated air discharged through the inner duct with the cool air discharged through the outer duct.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,003,496 Roe June 4, 1935 2,033,489 Silton Mar. 10, 1936 2,512,892 'Forsberg June 27, 1950 

